Religion tag: Lingayat Mahasabha to hold rallies

Lingayat Dharma Mahasabha, a forum headed by seer Mate Mahadevi, has lined up mega rallies to gather momentum for its demand for an independent religion status to Lingayat dharma.

The first rally will be held at Belagavi on August 22, followed by one in Kalaburagi on August 26 and the final one in Maharashtra on September 3. “These rallies are intended to create awareness about the Lingayat movement. Religious and political leaders will participate in the rallies,” said Chennabasavananda Swami of Basava Dharma Peetha.

He also hit out at the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha, which recently resolved to seek a separate religion status for Veerashaiva-Lingayats, and reiterated that the two communities are not the same.

The Lingayat Mahasabha also released Mate Mahadevi’s school transfer certificate, which shows her caste as Lingayat. “We dare Veerashaiva leaders to make their records public. I’m sure all of them have used the word Lingayat and not Veerashaiva,” Chennabasavananda Swami said.

There are at least six crore people living in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu who identify themselves as Lingayats, he added.